


Hello Kitty Tattoo

by ma_cheri



Category: Big Bang (Band), 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-19
Updated: 2016-08-19
Packaged: 2018-08-09 16:51:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7809799
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ma_cheri/pseuds/ma_cheri
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>BTS AU - Illegal tattoo shop behind the Hello Kitty Cafe in Seoul.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

The Hello Kitty Café located in downtown Seoul is a pretty famous spot amongst both locals and tourists. There is always a throng of people walking in and out, enjoying delicious themed pastries and savouring aromatic coffees and teas. Of course, most of the usual clientele is composed of young teenage girls. While the untrained eyes might assume the cutesy décor and ambiance is what attracts them, all true Seoulites know that what really brings them there are the famous “flower boy” baristas and servers. Regardless of the reason, the owners of the coffee shop, a corporation with many other enterprises under their direction, is satisfied enough by the profits generated there that they do not find it useful to interfere to much with the current management. 

Thus, in appearance, this seems to be one of many specialized boutiques in Seoul, catering to a particular demographic and raking in revenues accordingly. Of course, appearances can be misleading, and to those who know what to look for, the Hello Kitty Café is the obvious meeting place of more than a few strange individuals. On occasions, men and women with flashy hair colors, piercings, and inked skin can be seen sneaking in and out of the backroom, with a much lighter wallet than they came in with. Indeed, for those in the know, the Hello Kitty Café isn’t merely a fun date idea for lovers and friends. No it is so much more than that.

It is a front for one of the best and most exclusive tattoo parlors in Korea.


	2. Chapter 1: Kim Nam Joon

Chapter 1: Kim Nam Joon  
Nam Joon had started the tattoo parlor pretty much by accident. 

He had never planned on becoming a tattoo artist, didn’t even consider himself that good at drawing to be honest. He had arrived in Seoul a few years prior to pursue a degree at Seoul National University, in engineering if you can believe it. He hadn’t chosen that program out of personal preference, but rather because it was easier to get a scholarship for it and it guaranteed a stable income later on in life. These seemed like sane and valid reasons at the time, but once classes actually started, they did very little to counterbalance the fact that he absolutely despised every single moment he had to spend in school or studying. When he dropped out of university after three months, there was only one thing that the young man had really learned: whatever it was that he wanted to do with his life, it would have nothing to do with maths or science. 

What was supposed to be a transitionary period that would last a couple of weeks -during which time he would be able to “find himself and his passion” (or at the very least find a program that didn’t make him want to shoot himself in the head)- soon turned into months and eventually years. During this time, Nam Joon did every odd job that you could think off, from fast food employee, to janitor, to fortune cookie writer, and even a brief stint as dog food taster that lasted three days and gave him food poisoning for two weeks. These various sources of employment usually made him enough money to get by, if not to lead a comfortable life. His financial situation and schedule being what they were, he couldn’t really afford any extravagant past time, but he didn’t mind too much. His favoured hobby, one that he practiced since he was a teenager and that had kept him mostly sane during his time in university, was rap. As long as he could write, he was happy and it wasn’t uncommon for him to spend hours bent over his notepad when he ought to be sleeping. Whenever he could, he would attend events and rap battles, and he eventually became somewhat of a connoisseur of the Seoul underground hip hop scene. 

While he was hesitant at first to perform his own work, encouragement from some of his friends – and actual begging from the organiser of an event who had ran out of option after three performers backed out on him at the last minute – led Nam Joon to take his chance on stage under the pseudonym Rap Monster. While he never really blew up, his skills and flow did earn him a certain amount of respect amongst his peers and gave him enough recognition to land a job as lyricist and producer at a small entertainment company. It was while working there that Nam Joon met Jung Kook for the first time. 

At the time, Jeon Jung Kook was just another of about 15 trainees at Mega Entertainment. He was not the best rapper, the best singer, or the best dancer, but he was fairly good at all those things all the same. What made him stand apart from the rest of his peers, however, was his dedication and this unconditional belief that one day, no matter what, he was going to be a star.

Of course, Nam Joon didn’t know any of this in the beginning. For the first few weeks he worked at the company, Nam Joon mostly identified Jung Kook as “the emo kid”, and as far as the older man was concerned, there seemed to be enough angst contained in the trainee to inspire best selling albums for My Chemical Romance, Panic! At the Disco, and Fall Out Boys for the next three years, and maybe even a couple of hit singles for G-Dragon if somebody broke up with him again. 

It was incidentally partly because of the Bigbang leader that the two of them became closer. While most of the other trainees usually used up their limited amount of free time to sleep or hang out with their friends, Jung Kook usually stayed in the training rooms, practicing of course, but also sometimes scribbling into a notebook. It was the latter activity that had attracted Nam Joon’s attention, as he couldn’t help but assume that the youngster was writing lyrics. While this did endear him to the rapper, it wasn’t until Nam Joon quite literally stumbled onto the dark haired teenager when leaving his workroom that the two of them really interacted. Why the younger one had thought it would be a good idea to sit in the middle of the unlit hallway right outside of the door of the “God of Destruction” – so called because he had the uncanny ability to break things by simply being near them- Nam Joon had no idea, but the result was nonetheless the same as the elder’s knee hit Jung Kook square in the face causing both of them fall to the ground. The phone the trainee had been using to light his notebook slipped from his hand and fell on the ground with a loud thud. 

“Oh my god my phone!” he yelled out as he tried to disentangle himself from the mass of uncoordinated limbs above him. 

When he finally succeeded in removing himself from beneath Nam Joon’s body, he quickly reached for the electronic while muttering a string of “please don’t be broken”. 

Meanwhile, the older man was still on the ground slightly confused as to what he had even walked into in the first place. As he heard the other’s voice, however, he let out a deep groan, followed by a resounding: “What the Fuck”. 

At these words, the teenager suddenly turned back towards his accidental victim and began apologizing profusely. 

“What were you even doing here? It’s like practically midnight,” Asked Nam Joon.  
“I was just, like, writing stuff”.  
“Stuff?”  
“Yeah Stuff.”

The rapper gave Jung Kook an enquiring look, which the younger one held with a determined clenching of his jaw. 

“This stuff wouldn’t happen to be lyrics or something?”

The younger one shifted uncomfortably on his feet and looked down before silently nodding.

“Can I see?”.

At that, Jung Kook took a step back, clutched his notebook to his chest and, extending his hand in front of him, said: 

“They are really bad. It’s really not worth to look at.”  
“So what? You have to start somewhere. Look I am not expecting to read some genius shit, but if I look at it I could give you a few tips to help you improve.”

While he didn’t answer, Jung Kook did lower his hand. Nam Joon, who suddenly realized he was still on the ground, slowly stood up and patted away the dust from his jeans, before extending his fingers towards the teenager. 

“Come on, what’s the worst that can happen? I won’t laugh at you.” 

Cautiously, the notebook was handed to the older boy and Nam Joon moved back towards his door and turned on the light.. As he read through the lyrics, Nam Joon had to admit, they were pretty bad. They were overly emotional and the style seemed wrong, almost as if it was a bad imitation of…

“-G-Dragon.”  
“You think they sound like G-Dragon?” exclaimed Jung Kook, incredulous. 

Nam Joon looked up and realized he had spoken out loud. Not wanting to answer truthfully to the question – that would have been a bit too harsh- he decided to ask instead if the younger one liked G-Dragon. 

This must have been the right thing to say because the younger boy’s face lit up and he launched himself into a monologue detailing his admiration for the k-pop idol. Although Jung Kook was speaking extremely fast, and his excitement made his sentences less than clear and concise, Nam Joon managed to understand that he had become a trainee because he had been inspired by the YG rapper and that he had been copying his idol’s lyrical training by writing at least one song a day – even if his effort hadn’t let to great results yet. 

While the teenager was rambling on, the older man couldn’t help but feel a tinge of fondness creeping inside his heart. He looked so enthusiastic talking about music and songs he liked, and his dream. For someone like Nam Joon, who had never really known what they wanted to do, seeing someone so young and so clearly passionate was like a breath of fresh air. He had forgotten what it was like to believe that the world had nothing but good to offer to you, that bittersweet naiveté of youth that made it the most beautiful moment in life…

He was suddenly pulled from his thought as he noticed the sudden silence around him. Jung Kook had stopped talking mid-sentence – something about the delivery of the fast verse in One of a Kind – and he was now looking at the ground again, hands balled deep into the pockets of his hoodie. 

“Sorry, I got carried away” he muttered. 

Nam Joon stood at loss for word for a second before replying: 

“Don’t be sorry. It’s cool. You really like GD that’s fine. We all have, like, artist that inspire us. I don’t mind.”

Jung Kook looked cautiously back to him and Nam Joon continued: 

“I can tell that you, hum, are inspired by GD’s style. And like for sure everyone has inspiration. But you know you should also try to find your own vibe, you know what I mean? Like something that would make these lyrics, hum, you and not someone else. That could, like, really help your style you know.”

The younger boy just kept staring at Nam Joon eyes wide.

“I could help you, if you want…”, the elder trailed off. 

At those words a big smile spread across Jung Kook’s face and all the wonder and happiness in the world seemed to resonate in his voice when he asked: “Really?”

From that point on, Kim Nam Joon and Jean Jung Kook started meeting almost daily. While they did work on the younger’s lyrics, they mostly just talked about their daily life, their interest, their family. Both of them had moved to the city alone and had few friends. They found that each other’s company helped to sooth the loneliness they hadn’t really known they felt, and sooner rather than later Nam Joon became for the younger one less of a mentor and more of a brother that he could rely on. 

The stability of their situation, however, soon came crumbling down as Mega Entertainment filed for bankruptcy merely nine months after Nam Joon had started working there. Whether it was because the chaebol son that acted as president of the company had inherited his father’s money but none of his business acumen, or if it was simply the fate of just another of dozens of entertainment company in Seoul that were meant to crash and burn without producing any talents like so many other, the rapper didn’t know and frankly he didn’t care. What mattered to him was that this had been the best paid job he had had so far and now he was back to square one, with no career, no degree, and no clue what he wanted to do with his life. 

It was almost two weeks after the company had closed officially that Nam Joon realized he couldn’t find his beanie anywhere. Trying to think back on where he could have left it, it struck him that he might have forgotten to pick it up from his workroom the day he had packed up all his things. He decided to go back on the off chance that it might still be there. It was only when he got to the building that he remembered he didn’t have the keys. Still, he recalled that the lock on the back door to the training rooms had been broken before they left -the kids had been complaining for the longest time that they were worried about leaving their bags there because of it- and he decided to try his luck. Things seemed to be going his way that day because the door was easily opened, but as soon as he was inside, he almost jumped out of his skin as the sight of a mass of crumpled blankets from under which emerged somebody’s head. As the door closed behind him with a loud thud, the person – whom Nam Joon assumed was a homeless man- jumped up from the ground and turned around to face the newcomer. 

The two stared at each other for a few moments before Nam Joon yelled out:

“Jung Kook what the fuck are you doing here?”

Face bright red and hands raising up in front of him as though to tame Nam Joon, the boy began to ramble:

“Listen… I can explain… I am just…hum…It’s Just like…” 

Nam Joon’s gaze swept across the room and he noticed the bags of clothes, the pair of shoe placed against a wall, and the blankets on the floor that made a makeshift bed. 

“Have you been staying here, Kookie?”

Jung Kook tensed for a second before lowering his hands. He lowered his head and his body seemed curl into himself. The older man waited for a long moment, but the boy kept quiet.

With a deep sigh, Nam Joon finally said: “You can’t stay here.”

The teenager kept quiet for a long time, but just as his elder was about to speak again, he said, in a broken voice: “I can’t go home. I came to Seoul, so now I can’t go home.”

Nam Joon knew he should make him go home. He knew that he was too young to be left alone in the city, that he would be better taken care of with his family, that he should get him on a train back to Busan. Looking at the figure of the boy before him, however, he couldn’t make himself say any of the things he knew he should. After staying silent for a couple more seconds, he let out a groan and told the younger kid:

“You can stay in my apartment for a while. Pack your bags.”

Jung Kook simply stood there, mouth opened and eyes wide, for so long that Nam Joon worried he may have accidently broken the kid, but then Jung Kook threw him a shy smile and bent down to pack his things as quickly as he could. They walked back to the elder’s apartment without saying a word to each other, and when they got there, Nam Joon set up in his room the spare mattress he kept for when his friends got too drunk and spent the night in his house. It was only when he started preparing dinner – ramen noodles, the meal of kings – that he realized he hadn’t even looked for his beanie. 

The next few days were awkward for the both of them as they got used to their new living conditions. Jung Kook seemed to be trying really hard to make himself as unobtrusive as possible. He went to school alone in the morning, came back in the afternoon, and cleaned the apartment before doing his homework. He was silent most of the time and seemed to be extremely wary of making Nam Joon uncomfortable. As the day progressed into weeks, however, he slowly became more and more comfortable, and returned to his old self, to Nam Joon’s relief. Eventually, Nam Joon’s friend, Seok Jin, gave him a part time job at the Hello Kitty Café where he was the manager. The teenager had at first insisted on paying part of the rent with his earnings, but the older one had categorically refused. A couples of months after the two of them had started living together, Jung Kook revealed to the elder that he had been saving his money because, after talking with J-hope, one of the baristas at the coffee shop, he had decided to apply to the Seoul Institutes of the Arts. He said this with a slight blush and an apprehensive look on his face.

“That’s a great idea Kookie” was Nam Joon’s answer. 

The elder one was truly happy his new roommate had found a way to keep his passion alive, and a new trajectory towards his dream. The past few months had been hard on the rapper’s finances, what with the added cost of keeping a teenager clothed, fed, and in school, but he couldn’t bring himself to regret his decision every time he heard Jung Kook sing happily as he worked around the house. 

At this point, Nam Joon had two jobs just to stay afloat. He worked during the day as a server in a restaurant downtown, and he also had a part time job at a gas station. He also did odd moving jobs whenever he could, but money was still tight. Hence, when another employee at the restaurant where he worked asked him where he had gotten his tattoo – he had done them himself- and then offered to pay him a pretty decent amount for a similar ink work, Nam Joon jumped at the chance. 

He did this first tattoo job in his house while Jung Kook was still at his part time job. He didn’t think much of it, thinking it was a one-time thing, but a couple of days later. A couple of days later, however, his colleague informed him that a bunch of his friends had loved his new tattoo and they also wanted to get work done by Nam Joon. While the money they were offering was tempting, and would be a very welcome relief for his finances, the young man was still hesistant to accept because he didn’t like the idea of turning his apartment into a tattoo shop with Jung Kook living there. It wouldn’t be fair to the kid and he couldn’t be sure of the kind of people who would be coming in and out of the house. He considered his option and, as he was filling gas into the umpteenth car of the evening, an idea creeped into his head. 

The next day, he invited himself to his friend Seokjin’s apartment and, after getting a couple of drinks into him, explained his dilemma.

“See Jinnie,” he said, “I can’t bring a bunch of randos home when Jung Kook is there. I have to take care of him. But like, it would also help Jung Kook if I made that money. So like, I need another place to take them. I was thinking maybe – just maybe- you could let me borrow the backroom for a couple of hours. Its just this one time. Please Jinnie.”

Seok Jin took a long time to answer, but eventually stated: “You can use it Thursday.”

At those words, Nam Joon embraced his friend into a hug that almost had them tumbling onto the ground. 

That Thursday, Nam Joon was let in the back door early in the morning and throughout the day, his clients came in to meet him. At closing, he had made more money than he usually did in a week. Satisfied, he thanked Seok Jin warmly and promised him to treat him to whatever food he wanted that week end. 

He thought the whole experience was over until the next Thursday, when Seok Jin called him in the middle of the day. 

“There is a line of people behind the coffee shop. When I said they couldn’t loiter there, one of them said that they were clients. For the tattoo parlor.”

In a hurry, Nam Joon took the rest of the day off and sped over to the coffee shop. When he got there, he noted about six or seven people hanging around the back door, and a very unhappy Seok Jin staring at him from behind the counter.   
Nam Joon approached his friend but before he could even place a word, the elder angrily whispered:

“Do your thing for today, we will talk after work.” He then turned back to greet a customer who had just entered.

Nam Joon had left his material in the back room the week before, meaning to go get them back another day. He quickly got to work and, at the end of the day, he was once again left in possession of bigger sum than he had made the whole week. As he was packing up his things, Jin entered the room. 

At first, the two men remained silent. Nam Joon’s eyes were downcast, as he felt guilty for the trouble he was causing his friend. He opened his mouth to apologize, but Jin once again cut him off.

“Listen Joonie, I know it has been rough for you lately, what with taking care of an actual teenager when you yourself are barely even an adult. That’s why I let you use the back room the other day.”

Nam Joon tried again to speak, but Jin simply raised his finger to motion to him to be quiet.

“I am not done. As I said, that’s why I helped out last time. Now today was unplanned, I know, you didn’t think people would show up. But –“, he sighed, “-I think people will show up again. Based on what I heard this morning, it wasn’t just that your skills are genius -though you are pretty good, don’t get me wrong. It’s the whole concept of having an illegal tattoo parlor in the back of a Hello Kitty coffee shop. It’s like the contrast is funny so people think it’s cool. I think you could actually make a bit of money of this. And I know it could help with the kid. That’s why…Ugh God, I can’t actually believe I am saying this…I am going to let you use the back room on Thursdays.”

To say that Nam Joon was dumbfounded was an understatement. He honestly couldn’t really believe that he had heard his friend correctly. He just stood there, mouth open, for a while, until an annoyed Seok Jin exclaimed: 

“Oh my god, get a grip. And I just want to warn you that if it interferes with business then the deal is over. Anyways, you better figure out how you will set up this place so its not as weird to have as a tattoo parlor. Also hygiene issues and stuff. Anyways, I will see you tomorrow.”

And with that, he left the room, slamming the door behind him, leaving his friend completely dumbstruck. 

All this to say that Nam Joon had started the tattoo parlor pretty much by accident.


End file.
